Servo-power application to dies of die-casting machines



O Ct 2, 1951 l.. H. MORIN SERVOPOWER APPLICATION TOv DIES OF DIE CASTING MACHINES Filed Dec.

Patented Oct. 2, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT GLFFIC'E L'ouslf. Morn, Bronx; NL Y.'

Appl'catibnzDecemh'er 5, 1947, Serial No. 78959591 (Cl. .Z2-92)" 4` Claims. I

'Ilhis inventionrelates. to` the. closure of dies in die casting machines to insureirm engagement of: the` dies inV theoperation` of: pressure injecting casting-.material into-the` cavi-ty of the dies. Further, the invention dea-lsf with machines of the character described, whereinv greater pressures can be used in injecting the casting` material. into thefdiecavity, thereby producing a more homogcnous and` solid` casting.. MoreA particularly, the inventionl deals with machines of the character described, having means for moving the diesinto open and closed positions-and a servo-power application: to the dies to. apply what might be termed af nal squeeze or appliedpressure firmly retaining. the diesin closed positions under such high pressures as: to withstand' the pressure of injecting casting material' into: the die cavity.

Stillmore particularly, theinvention comprises the use of a servo-power medium in the formof an air-actuated piston forA transmitting. the final squeeze pressure to the dies in retaining the same in closed position.

The novel features of the? invention will: be best understood from the following description, when taken together with the accompanying, drawing, inwhichy certain embodiments ofV the invention are: disclosed and, in which', the separate parts are designated by suitable reference characters in each of the viewsV and in'` which:

Fig. 1' is a diagrammatic-sectionalview through one die guide showing, in part, the operating mechanism with part of the constructiony broken away and in section; and

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing an'.- other adaptation of my invention.

In die casting` machines and, particularly, mafchines` operating at relatively high speeds, it has been a; problem tosecurely hold` the dies toigether or inv firm: abutting engagementy during the operation of pressure injecting1 casting material into the cavity of the dies. As aresult, the resulting castingshave had a degree of poros ity, which results in a certain amount of reject castings, which` must be re-melted and*` formed into new castings. Methods have been employed to apply added pressure or squeeze tothe dies to overcome this diilculty, but such methodshave been slow in action and complicated from the standpoint of construction employed..

It is the purpose of my invention to overcome these objectionable features by providing,.in. combination with a die operating mechanism,a pneumatic servo-mechanism for applying to the dies the added squeeze pressure or pinch in. securely retaining the dies in closed position during in- 2f jection of' casting material. into the die cavity, thereby decreasing porosity, if not entirely eliminating. theformation of porous or imperfect castings..-

By employing the. pneumatic-serVo-power mechanismirr question, a quick die action is made possible.. to-be. consistent with operating` at high speed and, further-the dies. may be sofirmly engaged. as to make it possible to utilize higher pressuresv inV injection of casting materiali into the die cavity.

Onew advantage. of. the mechanism employed resides.` in the factA that. the. servo-power mechanism. canV be applied without interference with a standard` die structure, or the die supporting member of. the, machine. In other words, the die,.including the support therefor, are not modiiied. in. any manner andVA standards of constructing. the. same can bemaintained. The mechanical operating` mechanism. is modied to the: extent` of providing. the. locking engagement of the pusher` or supplemental. plunger with the slide, so that the slide, iniconjunctionl with the die, are movedY in applying. the final pressure to the die in closing the same. The servo-powermechanism may be said; tocomprise an attachment and this attachment. in no way interferes with normal opening and closing of the dies and' should the use of the mechanism be unnecessary in some occasions, all thatwill be necessary is toA cut off the air supply to the4 pistonwhich will maintain the: pusher. as a` oating element, which will ratchet over the die operating slide as will be apparent.

It willv also be apparent that, with the structure, employed. and as later described, a minirnurn` amount-ofy air is required for actuating the pistons in applying the' pneumaticservo-power, thus` economic` operation is made possible. Furthermore, the simplicity of the machanism em ployedy will; readilyadaptthe same to machines of variouskindsand. classes, as will appear .from the following detailedy description of adaptations as disclosed..

Inthe accompanying. drawing, Iv have show-n to illustrate my invention two mechanisms for servopower application todies showing diagrammatically one type of dieY operating mechanism substanti-ally of the type and kind disclosed in my prior patents, Numbers 2,367,303 issued January 1.6-, 1945; and 2,379,738 issued July 3, 1945, and, still. further, disclosed in my Patent Number 1,975,966 issued October 9,` 1934.

To simplify the present illustration, I have shown diagrammatically the meansfor` actuat- 3 ing one die of each pair, it being understood that the other companion die has similar operating mechanism.

In Fig. 1 I have shown at I0, IIJ adjacent abutting portions of a pair of dies, at the abutting surface I I of which is formed a cavity I2 to form any suitable casting and, at I3, is indicated the gate, through which casting material is injected through suitable means, not shown, under pressure into the cavity I2.

The die I is mounted in a suitable guide I4 having an extension I5, in Which the normal die operating mechanism I6 is mounted. This mechanism comprises a slide or plunger I1, which crosses over a surface of the die ID and has an angular cam key-way I8 operatively engaging a similar type of key I9 on the die.

At 20 is shown a slide actuating member operated by any suitable means of the machine for actuating the slide I1 through a spring 2|. EX- tending from the member 2U is a guide rod 22, which passes freely through an elongated aperture 23 in the slide I1 to compensate for movement of the slide in the servo-power application to the die, as later described. In this connection, it will also appear that a slight clearance is provided for the slide I1 in the extension I5 to also compensate for this movement.

One side surface of the slide I1 has longitudinally spaced teeth or projections 24 and arranged in the guide I4 above and at one side of the die IIJ is a pusher or supplemental plunger 25 having, at its inner end, teeth or projections 26 adapted to register and ratchet with the teeth or projections 24 on the slide I1. The pusher 25 has, at its outer end, an extension 21, which opens into a cylinder or casing 28 bolted to a iianged end 29 on the guide I4, as clearly shown.

In the cylinder or casing 28 is mounted a piston 30 having a central rod 3I adapted to engage the extension 21 on the pusher 25, as clearly seen. A spring 32 is arranged between the piston and casing to normally hold the piston against the closure plate 33 of the casing or in the direction of saidplate.

Centrally of the plate 33 is an air inlet passage 34 with which is coupled an air supply pipe 35, through which air under pressure forming a suitable source of supply is adapted to enter the chamber 36 of the casing or cylinder in advancing the piston 3U to apply pressure to the pusher 25 and, thus, to the die ID through the medium of the slide I1.

In operation of the mechanism, diagrammatically shown in Fig. l, the die I is moved into open and closed position through the medium of the mechanism I6 and the usual means for actuating this mechanism is not shown. Suitably timed with the operation of this mechanism when the die I 0 is moved into its closed position, air

Will then be introduced into the cylinder 28 to actuate the piston 30, thus introducing a servoapplication to the die and applying the squeeze pressure to said die, it being understood that the companion die I0' is correspondingly actuated with a duplicate mechanism, such as shown in Fig. 1. This servo-power application to the die takes place just prior to thepressure injection of casting material into the cavity I!) and immediately thereafter the pressure is released by exhaust of air from the chamber 36 and the spring 32 will free the pusher 25, thus allowing the slide I1 to timely move the die into open position in the operation of ejecting the casting. It will appear that the cylinder or casing 28 has a suitable vent 31 to free air from the chamber 38 at the opposite side of the piston 30.

In Fig. 2 of the drawing, I have shown another adaptation of the invention, in which a different method of applying pressure to the dies is employed, namely through a lever which will add to or increase the applied pressure through the leverage employed. In this figure, I have shown at I0 a die, similar to the die I0, mounted in a suitable guide I4' which differs from the guide I4 in dispensing with the iiange 29 and in having a bracket portion 39 secured to the extension I5 thereof. In Fig. 2, the die operating mechanism I6' is the same as the mechanism shown in Fig. 1, in other words, the parts I1', 2U', 2| and 22 are employed, the slide I1 having the teeth or projections, as at 24 for engagement with corresponding teeth or projections 26' on the pusher or supplemental slide 25. The latter has an extension 21', similar to the extension 21, which projects through the open end of the guide I4', as clearly seen.

With the structure shown in Fig. 2, the guide I4' has another bracket portion 40, in which is pivoted, as at 4I, an operating lever 42. The lever 42 has a rounded surface 43 adapted to engage the extension 21 of the pusher 25'. The free end portion of the lever 42 extends into a recess 44 in the bracket 39 and has an oiset rounded portion 45 adapted to be engaged by the piston rod 3|' on a piston 30. The piston 3U' is mounted in a cylinder or casing 28', substantially similar to the casing 28 and closed by a plate 33. At 32 is shown the spring for returning the piston to inoperative position, similar to the spring 32. At 34 is shown the air admission port and 35' the air pipe or tube, through which air under pressure is supplied to the chamber 36. At 38' is shown the inner chamber of the casing, which has the vent, as at 31.

With the structure shown in Fig. 2, the servopower application to the die, instead of being direct as at Fig. 1, is transmitted through the lever 42. In other words, as the piston 30' is moved inwardly, the lever 42 is moved to the left and the rounded extension 43 applies pressure to the extension 21' of the slide 25 in applying the squeeze pressure to the die I0.

It will be understood that a similar mechanism to the mechanism shown in Fig. 2 will be employed in connection with the companion die, as in the illustration in Fig. 1 oi the drawing.

It will be apparent that, in the accompanying drawings, the servo-power application to dies has been applied to one type and kind of die Voperating mechanism. It will be apparent, also, that the same applied pressures can be employed in conjunction with machines having diierent types and kinds of die operating mechanism or to dies of casting machines of any type or kind, particularly Where it is desirable to firmly maintain dies in closed position with each other in order to withstand high pressures that prevail in injecting casting material into the dies.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a die casting machine of the type wherein a pair of dies are movably supported in opposed relation to each other and are periodically moved into and out of closed position and a casting material is injected under pressure into a casting cavity deiined by the opposing faces of the vdies when they are in closed position, the combination of a die-actuating member engaging with each of the dies for moving the dies into and out of closed position, said die-actuating members being movable transversely of the dies, a pair of movable pusher members supported in opposing relation to each other, each of said pusher members being located on the side of one of the die-actuating members remote from the dies with its center line in a vertical plane perpendicular to the parting line of the dies at the mid point of the dies and pressure means for moving each oi said pusher members into engagement under pressure with the side of the respective die-actuating members remote from the dies when the dies are in closed position, said pressure means exerting pressure on the dies through the pusher members and the die-actuating members to maintain the opposing faces of the dies in contact during the injection of casting material into the die cavity.

2. In a die casting machine of the type wherein a pair of dies are movably supported in opposed relation to each other and are periodically moved into and out of closed position and a casting material is injected under pressure into a casting cavity deiined by the opposing faces of the dies when they are in closed position, the combination of a die-actuating member engaging with each of the dies for moving the dies into and out of closed position, said dieactuating members being movable transversely of the dies and having a serrated surface eX- tending along the side thereof remote from the die, a pair of movable pusher members supported in opposing relation to each other, each of said pusher members being located on the side of one of the die-actuating members remote from the dies with its center line in a vertical plane perpendicular to the parting line of the dies at the mid point of the dies and pressure means for moving each of said pusher members into engagement under pressure with the side of the respective die-actuating members remote from the dies when the dies are in closed position, said pressure means exerting pressure on the dies through the pusher members and the die-actuating members to maintain the opposing faces of the dies in contact during the injection of casting material into the die cavity.

3. In a die casting machine of the type wherein a pair of dies are movably supported in opposed relation to each other and are periodically moved into and out of closed position and a casting material is injected under pressure into a casting cavity defined by the opposing faces of the dies when they are in closed position, the combination of a die-actuating member engaging with each of the dies for moving the dies into and out of closed position, said die-actuating members being movable transversely of the dies, a pair of movable pusher members supported in opposing relation to each other, each of said pusher members being located on the side of one of the die-actuating members remote from the dies with its center line in a vertical plane perpendicular to the parting line of the dies at the mid point of the dies and pressure means for moving each of said pusher members into engagement under pressure with the side of the respective die-actuating members remote from the dies when the dies are in closed position, each of said pressure means including an air cylinder and a piston in said cylinder operatively engaging with one of the pusher members, said pistons moving the respective pusher members in the direction of the closing movement of the die associated therewith and into engagement with the sides of the die-actuating members remote from the dies upon admission of air pressure to the respective cylinders.

4. In a die casting machine of the type wherein a pair of dies are movably supported in opposed relation to each other and are periodically moved into and out of closed position and a casting material is injected under pressure into a casting cavity dened by the opposing faces of the dies when they are in closed position, the combination of a die-actuating member engaging With each of the dies for moving the dies into and out of closed position, said die-actuating members being movable transversely of the dies, a pair of movable pusher members supported in opposing relation to each other, each of said pusher members being located on the side of one of the die-actuating members remote from the dies with its center line in a vertical plane perpendicular to `the parting line of the dies at the mid point of the dies and pressure means for moving each of said pusher members into engagement under pressure with the side of the respective die-actuating mem-bers remote from the dies when the dies are in closed position, each of said pressure means including an air cylinder, a piston in said cylinder and a power-increasing lever connecting said piston to one of the pusher mem bers, said levers moving the respective pusher members in the direction of closing movement of the die associated therewith and into engagement with the sides of the die-actuating members remote from the dies upon admission of' air under pressure to the respective cylinders.

LOUIS H. MORIN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,077,862 Stafford Nov. 4, 1913 1,084,286 Mohun Jan. 13, 1914 1,443,888 Sheedy Jan. 30, 1923 1,965,057 Rittenhouse July 3, 1934 1,975,966 Morin et al. Oct. 9, 1934 2,079,936 Gastrow -1--- May 11, 1937 2,115,590 Ryder Apr. 26, 1938 2,268,949 Lehmann Jan. 6, 1942 2,309,460 Lester Jan.. 26, 1943 2,335,807 Smith Nov. 30, 1943 

